Thursday, July 22, 2010

Unlikely Heroes: P90x and Mind-blowing Turkey Burgers

I’m sitting here eating a bowl of cherries as I write this blog. Do I wish it was a bowl of peanut butter cup ice cream slathered in hot fudge? Yes. Do I feel like a better mother because it’s not? Yes. Will my pants fit better tomorrow because it’s not? Absolutely (unless I try to get a similar sugar high by eating the remaining quart of cherries in my fridge, the five peaches setting on my counter and the pint of blueberries I bought this morning; then I think I might have more serious issues than the tightness of my pants).

So I have three days left in my fast. We’re getting to crunch time, folks, so I need to get really focused. Hence, I’m implementing a tactic I use while working out in the morning to help me get through this final push of the fast. I’m currently doing P90x, and in the Plyometrics routine, they have this little exercise called Hot Foot. Basically, all you do is hop on one foot for 30 seconds and then switch feet and repeat. Sounds innocent enough, right? WRONG. Just go ahead and try it. No, really, right now get up from your computer and break out your old hopscotch moves. Well, if you did, you would quickly realize that this tiny little grade-school recess exercise burns the bejeezus out of your calf muscles.

Now, the way I manage the pain in the middle of this routine is that after the first 30 seconds pass and I get to switch feet, I then focus all my thoughts on how good the leg feels that is no longer hopping. I get all caught up in the wonderfulness of the resting leg that I kind of forget about the leg that’s doing the work and before I know it, the minute is up.

I’m implementing that same tactic here. My jumping leg is “the treat fast”. It’s burning really bad right now. It pretty much feels like someone is pouring molten hot lava down my calf. Thankfully, I have my resting leg, “non-treat-yet-still-yummy food”, to keep me going through the routine. So I’m keeping my thoughts on the non-treat yummies, and the first one that comes to mind is this beautiful turkey burger rendition that completely knocks my socks off everytime I eat it. You’d think after eating it over a dozen times, the surprises would end. Not so. There are fireworks every time.

I’m providing the link to this one for two reasons:

1. I usually change recipes I find in magazines enough that I can call them my own. Most times, I find they need tweaking. Not true with this one. I follow it to the “t” and with fabulous results everytime.
2. This tastes too good for me to take all the credit. It wouldn’t be right for me to pass this off as my creation and then you go spread it throughout the whole earth as Maile’s Mind-blowing Turkey Burgers. I couldn’t feel right about that. So I will lead you straight to the source with a clear conscience.

Well, folks, I’m going on vacation. The fam and I are heading out for a week of relaxation and fun, so things will be quiet around here for a while. But I’ll be back the first week of August with more recipes and tales from Mai Time in the Kitchen! Farewell till then!

1 comment:

  1. Maile I must admit that I made this the day after I got home. I could not help myself, I was craving them. So 2x in a week. Not too shabby! I just love them especially with the sweet potato fries! Yum! Kim

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